Check In and Check Ups
by Catalina Leigh
Summary: Carson receives some helpful information when he gets a visit from some friends while he's off-world on one of his humanitarian missions. -oneshot- *AU* *Serenity 'verse*


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. :(**

 **A/N: Originally, this was gonna be a whole big multi-chapter story/series, but after I wrote this, I decided to change it to a series of oneshots and short stories (possibly longer) in this AU. As I upload more, I will tell you where they fall chronologically.**

 **I'm calling this my Serenity 'verse because I got the idea from Firefly. Just a little background (not much, cause a lot will be revealed in other stories): Earth fell, and most of the survivors that made it out are now in the Pegasus Galaxy, with Atlantis and her planet as their new home.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Check In and Check Ups

"Hey Doc."

Carson looked up from the supplies he was organizing to leave with the locals and grinned at the woman who'd just come in the small derelict building he used as an infirmary during his visits to this planet. "Ah, Emily! It's lovely to see you lass. How have you been?"

She looked well, and was wearing a smile that lit up the room, but Carson knew that didn't mean much where her and her brother were concerned.

He'd met them some months earlier, when they'd 'requested' his help — though after finding out they wanted him to remove the tracking device from a runner, he had immediately forgiven them for essentially kidnapping him while also reprimanding them for not getting help sooner. They've been friends ever since. Carson had tried to get them to come back to Atlantis with him, especially after finding out the siblings were from Earth and both had the Ancient gene, which was how they managed to use the gateship — or puddle jumper as Emily's brother John had dubbed them — they'd salvaged after finding it broken down and in disarray on a planet after it'd been attacked and culled by the Wraith. They had politely refused his offer to be with the other survivors from Earth; they wouldn't state their reasons, but Carson read between the lines enough to realize there was some bad blood there, so he didn't push it. When General Landry had demanded to know where he'd disappeared to, Carson had simply told him that a trader had come through looking for supplies for a medical emergency and he'd offered his services as a doctor, but he promised to radio and inform Atlantis next time.

Ever since they'd established their presence in Pegasus, and Dr. Lam had gotten settled in Atlantis, Carson had been traveling to other planets to provide medical care to anyone that needed it. Landry wasn't happy about it, but General Hammond had agreed with Dr. Weir that it was a good idea, and a good way to make allies. He actually saw quite a bit of Emily, her brother John, and the now former runner Ronon during his time off-world. Most of the planets he traveled to were the ones with markets, so he could reach the most people — whether that be those that came to the market itself, or learning of villages that required 'house-calls' — and the three of them did quite a bit of trading. They also seemed to fight with the Wraith quite a bit, so usually every time their paths crossed, Carson insisted on giving them exams and treating any new injuries he found.

"We're good," Emily assured him, stepping further into the room. "Stopped by to offload some supplies we got a few days ago. Heard you were in town, so I thought I'd swing by and give you some information."

"Oh?" Carson was intrigued.

Because of their disconnect from other Tau'ri, the siblings tended to shy away from worlds gate teams frequented. While this meant they didn't have access to as many trading partners or supplies, it also meant they came across things Atlanteans didn't; it made them a good source of information.

Emily pulled out a piece of paper from one of her pockets, and handed it to him. While many items from Earth were no longer in use, Carson knew the jumper would've had at least one pad of paper in it, and with no use for it, there would still be some left. Emily and John both had at least one set of BDUs that hadn't been completely worn out yet, but Carson knew they preferred not to wear them, just in case they came across other Tau'ri. Most of the time, they wore clothes made of the leathers and other fabrics used by Pegasus natives, though they had customized them to have more pockets.

Carson saw a gate address written on the paper she'd given him, and looked up in questioning.

"We were there last week doing some hunting. There's a small village a few miles from the gate. One of the elders is a healer — sort of like a medicine woman. She uses this plant that's native to that world to heal wounds." Shrugging, Emily explained, "From what I gather, it helps clotting, and can also be used as a pain reliever."

"Really?" If that was true, it was definitely worth looking into. Carson knew they were running dangerously short on supplies; they'd run out of almost everything they'd brought from Earth. The scientists had been able to produce some things, but not enough. Carson and the other medical staff were relying a lot on medicines and remedies they found on other worlds. Something like this would be a huge help.

Smirking, Emily nodded. "Yeah, I figured it'd be something you would be interested in. We told her about you, and that you'd probably stop by sometime to talk to her about it. She's willing to trade."

With a grin, Carson walked over and wrapped his arms around the younger woman. "That's wonderful dear! Thank you so much!"

Emily returned the hug with a chuckle. "No problem Doc."

Releasing her, Carson leaned back, hands still on her her shoulders, and gave her a once over. "Now, while you're here, what say you let me give you a quick check so I can be sure you're not bleedin' internally or somethin' like that."

Laughing, Emily grinned. "I'm fine Doc, I promise."

"Uh huh," Carson grumbled good-naturedly, he knew that smile. "How 'bout you let me decide that." He patted the table he'd used as an exam table. "Up you go lass."

She rolled her eyes, but submitted to the exam without much protest or grousing.

After he was finished, Carson reluctantly admitted she was indeed 'fine', which earned him a cheeky grin in place of an 'I told you so', and he hastily added that they had different definitions of 'fine'. Although, he did admit to himself, other than some scrapes and bruises, she was in good health. How was still a mystery to him, but he knew that all three of them were excellent hunters, and willingly helped villages with their harvests in exchange for a small portion; it wasn't as if they needed much with only the three of them, and not much storage space on the jumper, so the villages actually came out ahead on those deals.

"Now, where's that daft brother of yours?"

"Talk about good timing."

Carson rolled his eyes as he turned to face the grinning newcomer. It was easy to see the siblings' resemblance; they had the same eyes, carried themselves in the same casually confident manner, and they both had dark messy hair — though while Emily's was wavy, and she tended to wear it in a braid or ponytail, John's stuck up in every direction, and constantly gave the impression he'd just rolled out of bed. They were also both incredibly sarcastic.

"Hello John," Carson smiled. He smiled wider when the second man entered behind John. "And Ronon! How lucky am I?"

John and Emily both chuckled at the doctor's teasing, while Ronon just rolled his eyes.

"We knew you'd track us down once you found out we were here, so we decided not to delay the inevitable," John shrugged.

"Aye, right you are," Carson agreed as he motioned for John to take Emily's place on the table. "Although, I will admit I'm surprised I didn't have to fight you on this." It was both a reprimand of their usual reluctance and avoidance of medical assistance, and a question as to what was going on this time.

"We can't stay long," John said lightly in response.

"Is everything all right?" Carson's brows furrowed in worry as he went through the exam.

"Got a lead on some Wraith."

Carson looked over at the former runner, who was ignoring John's 'we weren't going to tell him that' look. Ronon, despite his large stature and dreadlocks that gave him a beast-like appearance, especially with the scowl he usually wore, was actually a fairly young man, and Carson had seen him interact with John and Emily enough to know that he was lucky to have found them. The three of them were a good fit together; they were more than just friends now, they had become a family. However, Ronon despised the Wraith — and for good reason — so he took any chance he could get to kill them; it was a task that — for reasons, beyond the obvious, Carson hadn't quite figured out yet — John and Emily were more than happy to help him with. Although Carson knew that even though they did have some Earth weapons, they didn't have a large supply, or a good way to restock, so they'd had to get creative with some of their attacks. It was a problem Atlantis, and the Earth ships, were facing as well; just not to the same extent, as the people in Atlantis had figured out a way to manufacture some weapons and ammunition.

"I do hope you three will be careful." Carson worried about them a lot; knowing they were out there fighting the Wraith with no backup or anyone knowing where they were or what they were doing.

"Always," John assured him with a smile the doctor didn't buy for a minute as he and Ronon switched places.

Carson rolled his eyes. "Of course," he muttered dryly. Looking them each in the eye, he added sincerely, "But, just in case — "

"We know Doc."

It was like a stereo, with all three of them answering at once, and Carson couldn't stop the smile.

He'd given them Atlantis's address, and identification codes so they could contact him, or anyone in Atlantis, for help if they should need it. But Carson knew they wouldn't; maybe not even if it was their only choice, and that was what worried him more than anything.

So, Carson did what he always did when they said their goodbyes, and gave them the small medical field kit he had prepared for them; he always packed and took one with him when he went off-world, just in case he saw them. He knew they got hurt more than they said, and went through supplies fast; though they traded for things when they could, it wasn't always enough, and Carson had already had to treat two infections because they hadn't been able to properly treat otherwise non-serious injuries. And like always, they grinned and thanked him for his help and said they'd see him around, even though none of them knew if they would live that long.

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 **A/N: Hope you liked that! This 'verse is a fun little playground I like to visit, so there'll be plenty more stories to come. :) (No guarantees on when though) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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